Despite a name change, Google Places is still a plus for businesses today. With 97% of people using the internet to find local businesses, if you’re not online you risk your competition netting all your possible customers.

The changeover has been automatic, with about 80 million Google Place listings being switched to Google+ Local pages as Google rolls out the system worldwide. If you aren’t already registered with Google Places for Business, you can now set up a new Google+ Local page, which is more dynamic than the former static Places format.

Businesses that are already on Google Places will still have their homework to do as the place pages have now been integrated into the Google+ platform. This highlights the importance of having a Google+ page for your business to be seen prominently in Google results - so set up your account today!